


Confidence Training

by perniciousLizard



Series: Hot and Cold Blooded (Alphyne Collection) [10]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Gen, POV Alphys, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 12:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10764354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perniciousLizard/pseuds/perniciousLizard
Summary: Papyrus remembers that it’s his job to train Alphys to be more self-confident.





	Confidence Training

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again to [deadderrose](https://deaderrose.tumblr.com/) for the super-cute prompt about Papyrus and Alphys becoming friends.

The low buzzing noise was never going to stop.  Alphys groaned.  Why would anyone be visiting _her_?  Why would anyone be visiting her at _six in the morning_?

Oh no!  What if Undyne had forgotten her key?  She’d been trying to buzz in for ages, now!  Alphys was now an officially garbage-tier level girlfriend.  Undyne would be late for work!  Her car keys were on the same ring as her apartment key!

“Oh g-god, oh godohgod, I’m sorry, Undyne!”  She was off the couch and running over to the intercom before she really thought through her logic. The TV was still on, playing the DVD menu screen.  Alpyhs was a shit girlfriend _and_ she’d missed the end of the movie again!  

She buzzed Undyne in, and two seconds later Undyne was knocking on the door.  Wait.  That didn’t sound like Undyne’s knock.  Was she wearing gloves?  Had Alphys just buzzed in some _stranger_?

She stood on her toe claws and peered through the peep hole.  She got a closeup of eyeball.  That…wasn’t Undyne.

“Uh…w-who is it?” she called, her voice high and trembling.

“IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Oh.  "Um…Undyne’s at work, Papyrus."

"I AM PERFECTLY AWARE!  SHE IS NOT THE REASON FOR MY VISIT!  IT IS YOU, ALPHYS, WHO IS IN NEED OF MY PRESENCE!”  

Was she?  Well, either way, she didn’t want him shouting in the hall outside her apartment at six in the morning.

She opened the door. “Hello, P-papyrus.”

He looked her over. “YOU DO NOT APPEAR TO BE PREPARED?”

“Prepared for, um, what exactly?”

He put his hands on his hip bones.  "FOR YOUR TRAINING!  I UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS NECESSARY TO DELAY IT FOR SO LONG, BUT NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO START!"  He ripped off his shirt, revealing another shirt.  It said "JogBoy.”  The memories came flooding back.

“Oh.  Oh! That’s…that’s really great that you’d…think of me…”

“OF COURSE IT IS GREAT, AND AMAZING!  I MADE A PROMISE TO UNDYNE, AND I HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF KEEPING IT.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little early in the day, though?” she asked, increasingly desperate for an excuse.

“NO?  WAIT!  ARE YOU NOCTURNAL?  UNDYNE…FAILED TO MENTION THIS, IN ALL THE MANY CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE HAD ON THE SUBJECT OF YOU.”

That was…embarrassing.  And flattering?  Knowing that Undyne had talked about her so much.  "…something like that," she said. She wasn’t naturally nocturnal, but her habits basically made her that way.  Night was the best time to marathon anime, after all.

"I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING INCONSIDERATE!  IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BE AWARE OF THE NEEDS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE,” Papyrus said.  "I HAVE FAILED TO LIVE UP TO THE GREATNESS I AM KNOWN AND LOVED FOR!"

"Wh-what?  No, it’s ok!  It’s just…this is a _little_ early, Papyrus.”  

“WELL, IF YOU SAY IT IS OKAY, THEN IT IS!  WHAT TIME SHOULD I RETURN, TO BEGIN YOUR TRAINING?”

“Uh…” Never o'clock?  No, that wasn’t good.  This training would make her become a stronger and more confident person!  Someone who wouldn’t make the same mistakes, again.  "…after lunch?"

"UNDERSTOOD!” He saluted her.  "I WILL RETURN AT THE APPOINTED TIME!"

 

–

 

Self-confidence training was a real pain in the tail, but when Undyne found out she’d gone out and actually done it, she’d just been so proud.  Alphys found herself a little proud at herself for doing it, too.

Papyrus’ fake online persona followed her on social media, so she decided to return the favor and give him another follower on the blog he talked about all the time.  

She had trouble telling when he was joking around and when he was being sincere. Sometimes Undyne would ask him if he was joking, and he would say "OF COURSE!” and Alphys would have had no idea.  Maybe if she knew him better, she could get comfortable with him and she’d be able to…joke around with him?  Be friendly?  The best way for her to do that was talk with him online.

She hit the like on one of his recent selfies and told him she thought he looked pretty cool.  Was that dishonest?  She thought he looked…kind of like a dork, but he wore it so…confidently?  So it ended up being cooler than it should be, objectively.  Was there a way to explain that without being insulting?  She didn’t think so.  It wasn’t a complete lie, though, so she thought it was ok.

 

–

 

Alphys couldn’t train every day (or, at least, she really didn’t want to!), but twice a week, every week, she put on her most confident exercise clothes and went out somewhere with Papyrus.  He had an entire schedule for her training, so what they did varied from day to day.  She had originally assumed they would just be jogging (and had gotten herself the cutest workout suit she could find, to make herself feel less awful about how she looked), but sometimes they would shout in front of the mirror for hours, or get milkshakes and talk through things that were bothering her.

When she jokingly expressed her insecurities about dating Undyne one too many times, Papyrus invited Undyne along on one of training sessions.  They all went jogging, and then stood under a waterfall and screamed the things that were worrying them at each other while Papyrus shouted encouragement from a nearby rock.  

Alphys felt closer than ever with Undyne, and after that the two of them would go out together and have a date at the local trash heap and just try and talk to each other.  Alphys wished things didn’t have to be so hard, but they were.  Undyne was worth it.  Alphys had to be strong for her.

 

–

 

Alphys put on her training clothes, one afternoon, but as soon as Papyrus caught sight of her he called it off for the day.  She’d hoped he wouldn’t notice how sick she was, but it was hard to hide her peeling skin and dripping eyes.  

She didn’t want Undyne or Papyrus to think she was being weak and skipping because of a little cold, but he told her that her health was important and it was necessary for her to value herself enough to take time off when she was unwell.

“Uh…are you just going to…g-go?” she asked.  She had insisted to Undyne that she was fine enough for her to leave for work, but now she was lonely and bored.  

“WE WILL TRAIN IN YOUR HOME!  I WILL MAKE MY LEGENDARY NOODLE SOUP, AND YOU WILL PUT EVERYTHING YOU HAVE INTO GETTING BETTER!”

“Ok.  But…maybe we could watch something?  If you’re going to be here anyway?  I mean…I can probably find something you like.”

“DON’T YOU MOSTLY WATCH BABY CARTOONS FOR SMALL CHILDREN?” Papyrus asked.

Alphys saw red.  She let Papyrus know _exactly_ what anime was.  It took half an hour.

“WOWIE!”  Papyrus had stayed quiet for her entire speech.  Now that she was done, he applauded.

Alphys was panting, and her snout was running like a broken faucet.  She fumbled for a tissue, suddenly embarrassed.

“SUCH CONFIDENCE!  SUCH IMPRESSIVE FAITH IN YOUR OWN POINT OF VIEW!” Papyrus took out a roll of stickers and put a gold star in the middle of Alphys’ forehead.  "AMAZING!  FINE.  FOR THAT, I WILL WATCH ONE OF YOUR BABY CARTOONS WITH YOU WHILE YOU EAT THE MOST DELICIOUS SOUP YOU HAVE EVER TASTED."

Alphys knew what Sans would say to her if she showed Papyrus some of the more risque anime she had, so she picked something that was actually meant for children.  But adults could enjoy it, too!  It was a classic!  She watched Papyrus cry when they got to the end, and she felt very smug about that.  He’d had no idea what he was talking about, and she’d shown _him_.

They discussed the movie until Undyne got home.  She complained that she hadn’t gotten to join in the party.  They put in another movie by the same human and watched it together.  Alphys fell asleep on the couch a few minutes into it, exhausted from her illness.  She woke up when Undyne picked her up to carry her to their bed.

"Oh…would you tell P-papyrus…thank you, for me?” Alphys mumbled.  Her eyes felt crusted shut.

“Sure!  For what?”

“For…everything, I guess.”  She decided to send him a message on his blog the next time she was online.  She was better at talking on the internet than out loud, and she wanted him to really understand.


End file.
